Theme: "Make Circles"- The circled letters are all car makes. The clue only refers to the second word in each theme entry.
21A. Coleoptera insect: VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE.
31A. Much of western Queensland: SUBARU OUTBACK.
43A. Gazelle cousin: CHEVROLET IMPALA.
65A. Type of center: HONDA CIVIC.
68A. Spring sign: FORD TAURUS.
101A. Musical work: HYUNDAI SONATA.
112A. Scotland native: TOYOTA HIGHLANDER.
Victor gave us another puzzle with a fresh twist. Without the circles and its "Make Circles" title, this would be just another "listy" puzzle.
I wonder why "make" for cars but "brand" for everything else. "What's your favorite make of peanut butter" sounds odd.
Across:
1. Agreed: JIBED.
6. Compressed video format: MPEG. Moving Picture Experts Group.
10. Altar constellation: ARA.
13. Reach 22, in a game: BUST. Blackjack.
17. Features of Byzantine domes: OCULI. Plural of "oculus".
18. Retro diet, to put it mildly: PALEO. Sounds better than the Keto diet quite a few people follow.
19. Keaton role in "The Founder": KROC. Unaware of the film. Michael Keaton. Ray Kroc.
20. Sufficient, to the Bard: ENOW.
24. Stir (up): RILE.
25. Copier copy: Abbr.: ENL. Enlarged.
26. "Queen of Salsa" Cruz: CELIA.
27. Quaker cereal: LIFE.
28. Instrument in George Harrison's "Within You Without You": SITAR.
29. Beats soundly: DRUBS.
35. Select: CHOOSE.
37. Human-beast portmanteau: MANIMAL. Man and animal. New to me.
38. Gaggle members: GEESE. Boomer fed them fresh popcorn last time. The geese seemed to love the treat.
39. Flabbergast: DAZE.
40. Basic shelter: LEAN TO.
42. Blacken: CHAR.
48. Moscow Olympics mascot: MISHA.
53. One spotted at the zoo: LEOPARD.
55. Highlands headgear: TAM.
56. Theodore Cleaver, casually: BEAV.
58. Like Ophelia, ultimately: MAD.
61. Two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner: ORR.
Wiki says "The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the most
valuable player during the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup
playoffs." Learning moment for me.
62. "We're approved!": IT'S A GO.
70. Activist Davis: ANGELA.
71. Styled after: ALA.
72. Scientist with 19 Emmys: NYE. All with PBS's "Bill Nye the Science Guy".
73. Sink one's teeth into: BITE. Have any of you tried the Korean cold noodles? I always eat the pear slices first. So good. Asian pears are very juicy.
74. Feel remorse over: RUE.
75. "Jabberwocky" word meaning "evening": BRILLIG. No idea.
79. Pride event abbr.: LGBT.
81. Faith with pillars: ISLAM.
90. Math points: LOCI.
92. Virtual human companion: NEOPET. Wiki said it's "an online cross of Pokémon and Tamagotchi".
93. Joker's prey: BUTT.
94. Ducks with a distinctive blue-green coloring: TEALS.
96. Won't take no for an answer: INSISTS.
99. Ill will: MALICE.
103. Like businesses on Yelp: RATED.
104. Massive hunters: ORCAS.
105. Pilgrim to Mecca: HAJI.
106. When repeated, #5 on Rolling Stone's 2007 list of "40 Songs That Changed the World": LOUIE.
108. Bitter __: END.
111. E-ZPass payment: TOLL.
116. Sooner State city: ENID.
117. "__-daisy!": UPSY.
118. Lloyd or Paul of Cooperstown: WANER. Forgot. We had this name before.
119. River to Lyon: SAONE.
120. Mother of Pollux: LEDA.
121. General on menus: TSO.
122. Border: EDGE.
123. Vandalized, in a way: EGGED.
Down:
1. Roman god of the sky: JOVE. Roman name for Zeus.
2. App symbol: ICON.
3. Level for building, as land: BULLDOZE.
4. Moose kin: ELK.
5. Decathlon event: DISCUS. Decathlon consists of four runs, three jumps and three throws. Who do you think is the greatest athlete ever?
6. Christmas trio: MAGI.
7. Mood-brightening: PLEASANT.
8. Gloaming, in verse: EEN.
9. Hunk: GOB.
10. Like Dickens' Dodger: ARTFUL.
11. Battle on a log: ROLEO. Log-rolling. Sort of combo word of Roll and Rodeo.
12. Low card in a wheel straight: ACE.
13. B-deficiency illness: BERI BERI.
Wiki says "Historically, beriberi was associated with a diet including
much polished rice (white rice)...." Yeah, I like Wiki as much as
Yellowrocks does.
14. Baltimore NFL great: UNITAS.
15. Comfort: SOLACE.
16. Shake it on the dance floor: TWERK. Associate this word with Miley Cyrus.
18. Buds: PALS.
19. Knightley of "Bend It Like Beckham": KEIRA.
22. Cub Scout badge: WEBELOS. I just learned that this word is an acronym: "We'll Be Loyal Scouts".
23. Ancient pre-Iranian civilization: ELAM. Never heard of it.
28. Engine power source: STEAM.
30. Major 1973 decision: ROE V WADE. Great fill.
32. No later than: UNTIL.
33. Ecological community: BIOME.
34. "Yuck!": UGH.
35. Govt. health org.: CDC.
36. Triumphant laugh: HAH.
37. West in old movies: MAE.
41. Varnish ingredient: ELEMI. The plural form is a luxury skincare brand.
42. Train unit: CAR.
44. Be equivalent to: RIVAL.
45. Magic act sound: POOF.
46. Shirt protector: APRON. Do you wear an apron when cooking?
47. Emmy winner David: LARRY. Notably "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
49. Opening: START.
50. Site of many Dutch embassies, with "The": HAGUE.
51. "Famous" snack guy: AMOS.
54. Morse "E": DIT.
56. Earnings booster: BONUS.
57. Tannenbaum topper: ENGEL. German for "angel". Tannenbaum is German term for fir tree.
59. Use: AVAIL.
60. Humdinger: DILLY.
63. Striped cat: TABBY.
64. Apt: SUITABLE.
65. Big name in WWI espionage: HARI. Mata. Very pretty.
66. Wine lover's word: CAB. Cabernet.
67. Problem for a sloop: CALM. Needs wind.
69. Dig (into): DELVE.
76. Troy, N.Y., school: RPI. Spitzboov & Irish Miss.
77. Ancient region of present-day Turkey: IONIA.
78. Unregistered user: GUEST.
80. Received an AOL message: GOT MAIL.
82. Longtime host of "Scientific American Frontiers": ALAN ALDA.
83. Shapes: MOLDS.
85. Coming to: TOTALING.
86. Some calculators: HPS.
87. Helper with a harness: GUIDE DOG. Another great fill.
88. And the rest: Abbr.: ETC.
89. I-5, e.g.: RTE.
91. NC joined it in 1861: CSA.
94. Power in old films: TYRONE.
95. "Elements" writer: EUCLID.
96. Parental argument ender: I SAY SO. After "Because".
97. "But there is __ in Mudville ... ": NO JOY.
98. Annoyed state: SNIT. Followed by 100. Relaxed: AT EASE.
101. Monopoly miniature: HOTEL.
102. Makers of many links: IHOPS.
103. Essen's river: RUHR.
107. S-shaped molding: OGEE.
109. Hawaii's state bird: NENE. It sounds like "You, You" in Cantonese.
110. 1857 plaintiff Scott: DRED.
112. His relics were the subject of a 1970s Met exhibit: TUT.
113. Niagara Falls reaction: AWE.
114. Suffered from: HAD.
115. Hound: NAG.
C.C.
